Ultra Clutch
by TurquoisePolarBear
Summary: Ally's not who you think. To most, she's just the girl with stage fright. To her friends, though, it's a different story. Most of the time. When her friends started treating her like she was nothing, she did something to change their minds. But, she didn't tell them. Now, Ally's lie is unraveling, and they're close to finding out. How will Team Austin react? Auslly or Ally/OC.
1. The Beginning

Ally's POV

I hummed happily to myself as I hung up the phone in Sonic Boom, biting my lip to keep from screaming out loud with excitement. I pressed the new message button on my cell and scrolled through my contacts, trying to find the right name. I passed Austin, Dez, Dallas, and Kira before finding the name I'd been searching for: Ryan. Turning my face away from Austin and Dez, I hid my phone under the counter and quickly typed out: _Have you got the call yet? I just did. –Alls._

His response came almost immediately: _Yeah. Did you…you know...ugh, I can't even text it. You know what I mean, and?_

I was almost boiling with curiosity to discover my friend's fate. _Did you?! I'm dying here!_

My phone vibrated in my hand just as I was about to close it. _Let's talk in person. Mini's in 5?_ He suggested.

Closing my phone and tucking it away, I looked up at two of my best friends. "I gotta go. I've got someone I've gotta meet."

"Okay!" Dez chirped, not really caring.

"Who?" Austin asked, concerned at how vague I was being. I shook my head; I was afraid this was going to happen. But I didn't want to tell him, Trish and Dez about Ryan and Tanya just yet – or the surprise that came with them.

"Just a guy from school," I responded evenly. "I'm tutoring him in English." I lied, hoping he doesn't press the subject.

"A_ guy_?" Austin emphasized, jealously slightly lacing his voice.

"Yeah. Gotta run. I'll catch you guys later!" I grabbed my bag and skipped out the door, praying Austin wasn't smart enough to notice the corner of a white binder poking up out of my bag as I hopped out the door.

Less than three minutes later, the main courtyard of the mall came into sight. It was earlier in the morning – 8 am, so Trish definitely wasn't up yet, therefor I knew I didn't have to worry about seeing anyone – and the mall was almost deserted. A lone figure sat on the counter of Mini's, sipping a mini soda, and a grinned, making out the chocolate colored skin and matching short hair. A grin three miles wide spread on his face as he saw me approach.

"Alls!" he yelled. I grinned.

"Ryan!" I ran up and threw myself into his open arms. We rocked back and forth from foot to foot, no longer balanced. He picked me up and spun me around both of us giggling like school kids as we almost fell over.

"Wait, lemme guess…" I studied the happy look on Ryan's face. "Seaweed?" I guessed. He nodded, his grin rapidly growing, and I threw myself into his arms again.

"That's amazing!" I gushed. "I'm so proud of you."

"Well, what about you?" he asked, scanning my face for a hint or a sign.

"Penny," I responded, allowing my happy giggles to take over as he swooped me into another tight hug.

"And you said you were proud of me. I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you!" he exclaimed.

"I'm proud of me too!" I said happily, squeezing his body close to mine; positive it would be the last time I would without unwanted and weird memories swarming our minds. You see, the thing with Ryan and I is I don't have to worry about making a fool out of myself or feeling conceited around him, because he accepts me for who I am. That's a pretty great feeling, trust me.

"Have you talked to Tanya?" I questioned.

"Yeah, she got in too, don't worry."

"Did she get the one we knew? Oh my gosh, what was her name… You know, the sister."

"Yup, that's the one. Don't worry, she's doing great. She's totally psyched to see you again," Ryan commented, blushing slightly under my confused gaze.

"And how would you know that?" I asked, both teasingly and accusingly.

"I've talked to her," he replied. I raised my eyebrows. "What? Don't think you're the only one I've kept in touch with after the workshop."

"Who'd have known we'd grow so close in just over twenty four hours," I sighed, glancing down at the counter we'd been sitting on and blushed deeply as we realized at the same time that our hands had been touching slightly. I noticed he didn't pull away, and my breath hitched in my throat. We glanced up at each other in unison, catching each other's gaze and holding it. I stared into Ryan's chocolate brown eyes and tried forcing my heart to slow down. I glanced at his lips quickly and mentally slapped myself; _he's seventeen, you idiot! _I chided. _Aka, too old for you? Besides, Austin would never approve of you dating him, no matter how much you want to._

_ Where did that come from?_

"I should probably get back to the store," I muttered tearing myself out of Ryan's trance and moving my hand from his, picking up my bag. I faintly heard frantic scurrying footsteps, but I didn't think much of it. Ryan pulled his hand back and glanced at the ground and back up at me multiple times.

_He couldn't have felt the same way… could've he? That would've meant he's falling for a fifteen year old; but would that really be impossible?_

"Yeah, Austin will be missing you," he commented. Hearing Austin's name snapped me back to reality. "Hey, I have an idea; why don't you make this a surprise?"

"What?"

"A surprise! You know, don't tell him, Trish or Dez. I assume they don't know you're here," I shook my head. "Well then let's wait a few months, until Doomsday, and tell them then."

"Doomsday?" I giggled. Ryan rolled his eyes. "It won't be that bad."

"You've never done this before." He shook his head, and I started to get concerned. "And it's gonna be your first time. Trust me, Doomsday."

"Okay," I decided. "I won't tell Austin, Trish or Dez. I wanna see how the heck they're gonna react!" I jumped.

"They'll be more proud than I am," he responded, grinning, and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, and butterfly's exploded in my stomach at the contact. I smiled to myself, and hugged him back, hoping to stay in the moment forever.

Austin's POV

I sat in the practice room playing video games with Dez (we found out if we stayed in the store too long, people would think we worked there… oops.) when Trish ran in, oddly frantic. She shut the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes and breathing heavily like she was trying to erase a sight from her mind.

"Oh my god," Trish whispered to herself.

"What?" I asked, curious as to what had Trish in such a frazzle.

"I just saw Ally with some random boy in the mall," Trish exhaled.

"Oh yeah; she's tutoring him in English," Dez shrugged it off, but something about Trish's tone made me think there was more to the story. Trish isn't one to freak out over nothing.

"Didn't look like much tutoring was going on to me," Trish told us, finally catching her breath. "No books, no nothing. So let me revise my previous statement: I just saw Ally _staring into the eyes of _some random boy in the mall.

My mind started racing. _Who was he, and what made him think he could go near my – our – Ally-cat? Why would Ally lie about who she was with? Especially with a _guy_; Ally's not one to keep that a secret._

Trish's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I'm sure they have a logical explanation. But I just don't get why Ally didn't tell us about this secret boyfriend of hers." My blood boiled.

Just then, Ally happily skipped in, in an unnaturally good mood. "Hiya guys!"

"Hey, Ally. How was the tutoring?" I emphasized.

"Tutoring?" She questioned, awkwardly trying to cover up that she didn't know what I was talking about.

"You know; your tutoring session with that guy from school you just met with."

"Not so great; he doesn't know half the stuff I'm talking about. I don't blame him, though; Trig is a hard subject. We're gonna need… at least two more months of constant sessions," Ally told us, checking a calendar with lots of dates on it. The smile never left her face.

"Trig?" I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were tutoring him in English," I stated in a confused manor, trying to mask my accusation.

"Did I say Trig? I meant English," Ally covered awkwardly, and grabbed her phone as it vibrated. "Sorry, gotta take this…T! Oh my gosh, hi! How've you been?"

Ally grabbed her stuff and walked out the door, closing it shut behind her and chattering excitedly with the mysterious caller she called T. My heart sank, and I could tell by their face's that Trish and Dez's had too; Ally was keeping something from us, and she wasn't regretting it.


	2. The Bet

**A/N: oh my goodness! Lots of people read this! Wow! Oh. My. Goodness. Anyway... since I know multiple people read it, please please please review! I really like constructive criticism. A lot. Anyway, the disclaimer, which I forgot to do last time! It counts for last chapter too.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Austin & Ally. I wish I owned a lot of things. Sadly, this is not one of them.**

**On with the story!**

Ally's POV:

"Tanya!" I squealed into the phone, closing the door to the practice room behind me. "Hi! I missed you so much! I actually just saw Ryan."

"And how is he?" Tanya's smooth voice asked me over the phone.

"He's doing great; as excited as all of us to get in," I reported. I could almost feel her smile; the age difference between the three of us was absolutely nothing. The fact that Tanya was thirteen, I was fifteen, and Ryan was seventeen was a distant thought whenever we were together. In fact, we often didn't notice it. We clicked from the moment we met. It was nice to have friends who didn't know the previous Ally Dawson as well as Austin, Trish and Dez did – the stage fright, schoolaholic and music obsessed – and just let me be me.

"I miss you," Tanya sobbed into the phone. "And Ryan. We need to hang out." She paused thinking, when she resumed talking all of a sudden. "Hey, what are you doing tonight? Studio North is doing a production of Romeo and Juliet; wanna call Ryan and see if the three of us can all go together? Dinner beforehand, maybe?"

I grinned. I missed the girl too much to say no. I was supposed to hang out with Team Austin tonight, but I could blow that off easily; I hadn't seen these guys together in ages. They'd understand; besides, this was important to me.

"That sounds awesome!" I chirped. "I'll call Ryan in a minute!"

"Great!" Tanya responded, obviously excited. "I'll see you tonight. Bye!"

"Bye, T!" I hung up the phone and started dialing Ryan's number when the door to the practice room flew open, stopping me in my tracks. Trish, Austin, and Dez exited, calling assorted goodbye's over their shoulder.

"See you tonight at my place!" Trish called.

_Drat!_ I thought. I wanted to be with Ryan and Tanya more than Trish and the guys at that moment, so I called out to stop them.

"Actually, I can't make it tonight," I called after them. They stopped cold.

"Why not?" Trish turned to me, hurt in her eyes.

"I have a thing," I lied, badly. I looked at the ground awkwardly.

"What kind of a thing?" Austin asked. He looked more like he was accusing me of murder rather than asking me what I was doing tonight.

"A family thing," I said, evenly but nervously, really showing no emotion at all.

"Okay," Austin gave in, but didn't look like he believed me at all. Giving up, he walked down the stairs, Trish and Dez at his heels. He didn't say goodbye; none of them did. They just slammed the door on the way out into the mall. Austin stared straight ahead, looking like he was better than everyone else. I scrunched my eyebrows and ran over what just happened in my head, confused. Finally, I decided just to be angry at them for not trusting me.

_Well, they don't know what they're missing. I don't need them; I've got Ryan and Tanya. They're enough for me._

Jarred out of my thoughts, I realized I still had a call to make.

Finishing dialing his number, I called Ryan. He answered immediately.

Hey, Alls, whazzup?" he answered, picking my lousy mood up immediately.

"Hey, Ry. I was wondering if you were free to have dinner with me and Tanya tonight. We wanted to see Romeo and Juliet at the Studio."

"Dinner with two beautiful girls? I feel like a player," he joked, making me laugh. I grinned; these guys were my true friends. All thoughts of Austin flew from my mind.

"Should I take that as a yes?" I asked teasingly.

"Absolutely," he said. "I miss my girls. Besides, what guy wouldn't jump at the chance at dinner with two amazingly talented and gorgeous girls? I feel so special."

"Love you too," I teased. "See ya at Laurie's. Bye, Ryan!"

"Bye, Alls. Love you," he responded, and I hung up.

_He hadn't hung up yet._

The thought teased me, but I pushed it away.

Still, it lingered in the back of my mind, making me smile as I walked back to my house to get changed for tonight.

_I think I'm falling for Ryan._

Austin's POV:

I walked through the mall courtyard, Trish and Dez at my side, in dead silence, each of us pondering what we'd just heard.

"I can't believe this," Trish started, breaking our sickeningly still walk. "I can't believe Ally would just blow us off like that! I wonder what she's gonna do…"

"She's gonna be with her boyfriend," I responded, my voice sounding raw, even to my own ears.

"She wouldn't blow me off for a guy," Trish countered, but she was clearly unsure.

"Oh, yeah? Wanna bet?" I challenged, turning to face her. "I say we follow her tonight and see where she goes. I bet you twenty bucks she's with a guy."

"You're on," Trish agreed. "We go to the park by Ally's house and wait there until she leaves. She walks everywhere, so we just follow her. If she's just with friends… um… you both give me twenty bucks. _Each,_" she emphasized, turning to me and Dez, who was silently watching the whole conversation.

"You're on."

We shook on it, and proceeded to walk to Ally's house, each of us dreading what we would find out she's actually doing.

**A/N: Remember! Cute little review button down there!**


	3. So Close

Chapter 3:

Ally's POV:

"Nope," I muttered to myself as I raked through my closet, searching for the perfect thing to wear tonight to see Ryan and Tanya.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope," I sighed. This was going to take a while. Finally, I spotted a starry, sequined tank top and I grabbed it. I pulled on my gray skinny jeans and black Nike high heels. I added a black hat and threw on some lipstick and pink eye shadow. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

_Perfect._

I glanced at the clock. It was five thirty. I needed to be at Laurie's in a half hour. That's our favorite restaurant. It has the best pies ever. Anyway, I had enough time to walk. I grabbed a sparkly purse I got from Trish for my birthday and skipped out the door, giddily, leaving a note for my dad letting him know about Romeo and Juliet and that I I was having dinner with Tanya beforehand. I left out that Ryan would be there too. My dad would freak over something like having dinner and going to a show with a seventeen year old boy.

Making my way down the sidewalk, I sighed contentedly as I watched the sunset. The sky was painted pale pink and a brilliant orange, the occasional cloud dotting the sky as the sun disappeared. I halted to a stop in front of Laurie's. Taking a deep inhale of the night air, I stepped inside the restaurant, hearing the bell ding as the door closed behind me.

Austin's POV:

_Laurie's? Why is she stopping here? _I thought curiously. Suddenly, a thought hit me in the gut.

_Date._

I turned to Trish and Dez as I thought of a flaw in our otherwise perfect plan.

"If we go in there looking like this, no doubt Ally's gonna recognize us," I whispered to them.

"Darn, you're right," Trish muttered.

"Luckily, I already thought of that," Dez responded, holding up his backpack he never leaves home without. He pulled out four things; a baseball cap, a hair tie, a leather jacket and a change of clothes that looked like they could've come straight out of my closet (they didn't, though; I don't wear a lot of green). Trish and I stared at the items, curious as to how they'd help Ally not recognize us.

"Austin, wear this baseball cap and jacket. If Ally looks your way, she'll see the baseball cap and the jacket and won't automatically think of you. Trish, put your hair up," he instructed. "A really high ponytail. It'll look great, trust me. And I'll change into these. Ally wouldn't recognize me if I look like I'm wearing Austin's clothes."

"How did you think of that?" I asked, in awe of my best friend.

"I'm a director; I know a little bit about costuming," he said, smiling.

"Well, alright," Trish said, pulling her hair into a ponytail like Dez had instructed and I slipped on the jacket and baseball cap.

"We should go in separately and sit at different tables. We don't know where Ally's gonna be sitting, and we shouldn't be sitting together. If we're there separately, then if Ally catches one of us, it won't look like we're spying, just like we are having dinner," I suggested. Dez nodded, and ducked behind the restaurant to change into his new clothes.

"Well, I'll go in first," Trish said. "I'll text you if I see her."

"Okay," I responded, and Trish walked into Laurie's. I sighed, praying this was going to work.

Ally's POV:

I walked into Laurie's and looked around. There were tables everywhere, and a stone fireplace in the corner. I walked up to the pedestal where a waitress waited to seat people.

"Hi, I'm looking for my friend. I'm not sure if he's here or not; his name is Ryan?" I asked the waitress. She got a funny look on her face, like she was trying to suppress a smile.

"Right over there," the girl motioned over to a table by the window where I could see Ryan sitting. His face lit up and he called me over.

"Thank you," I said to the waitress and walked over to the table Ryan was at. "Ry!" I greeted, throwing my arms around him.

"Hey, Alls!" he responded, squeezing me back.

"Where's Tanya?" I asked.

"She is gonna be a little late. She's stuck in traffic and her mom wouldn't drive her at first. I thought about picking her up, but how weird would that be? A seventeen year old picking up a thirteen year old so they could go out to dinner and go to a show together?" he shook his head. "Too awkward. Her mom might not have even let her come with me."

"Even if I was there too?" I asked, feeling a little sad and a little happy that Tanya wasn't there so I could spend more time on my own with Ryan.

"You might've helped, but the moment's gone. Oh well," he shrugged. "By the way, Ally?"

"Yeah?"

He motioned me closer. I leaned across the table. "Our waitress thinks we're dating."

"What?!" I whispered furiously. "Why? What did you tell her?"

"Nothing!" Ryan protested. "I said I was waiting for a friend, and asked if I could get a table, and she said, and I quote, 'Oh. A _friend_.'" Ryan winked at me, mimicking the waitress. I cracked up. "And I said, 'No, I'm just waiting for a friend to show up, may I please get a table.' And she said 'Sure. When _she_ gets here, I'll be sure to send _her_ your way.' And then she winked at me again!" Ryan said, trying to be serious. I was laughing so hard I felt my eyes water.

At that very moment, our waitress seated someone wearing a baseball cap and brown leather jacket across the restaurant and sauntered over to the two of us. "I see you _couple_ found each other," she said, smiling at us. "Are you ready to order? I recommend the Meat _Lovers_ special."

I glanced at Ryan. _Was this girl for real?_ Suddenly, I got an idea. I grabbed Ryan's hand.

"That sounds simply wonderful," I said, making my voice sound like I was in love and flirty. "Don't you agree, Ryan?"

I hardened my gaze, willing him to follow my lead. Luckily, he caught on.

"Definitely, Princess," he smiled, squeezing my hand. He handed the menu's back to the waitress. "Two meat _lovers_ special please," he said, emphasizing lovers like she did. The waitress grinned, and grabbed them, walking away. She turned back around and winked at Ryan.

"She just winked at me!" Ryan whispered. Once she was safely out of sight, we cracked up hysterically.

"That was awesome," I chocked out through my laughter.

"Great idea, Alls," he said. "But do you wanna have some real fun?"

Austin's POV:

I watched as Ally and the mysterious stranger held hands across the table as the waitress was trying to take their order. My blood boiled. _Who was this guy and why the heck was he holding Ally's hand?_ I glanced back at Dez and Trish, who were seated at separate tables. Dez had his camera out on the table, making it look casual, but I could see it was on and pointed towards Ally. He was filming everything. Trish pretended to have her face buried in a menu, but she kept glancing up at us every so often. I shifted my gaze back to Ally. She looked amazing. The two of them cracked up the second the waitress was gone, peaking my interest.

I noticed a change as Ally got out her phone and tapped out a text message. Once she finished, she glanced at the door as a short, dark skinned girl no older than thirteen walked through the entrance and headed straight to the bathroom. Ally got up and followed. I was tempted to get up and go too, but I realized they'd be in the girls bathroom. I got out my phone and texted Trish to go in there too. I know I'm probably being paranoid, but it could be important.

Trish took out her phone and followed them to the bathroom. She was a few steps behind Ally so Ally wouldn't see Trish's face and they disappeared.

Trish's POV:

I entered the bathroom and rushed into a stall, seeing only the back of Ally's head. She was talking to another girl who looked about thirteen years old and had chocolate colored skin. She managed to be shorter than Ally, which in our eyes, was a huge accomplishment. I sat on the toilet and listened. The bathroom was almost deserted except for the three of us.

"So that's our plan," Ally was saying. "Can you help us?"

"Of course! This is gonna be awesome!" the younger girl said, throwing her arms around Ally. Ally then rushed out the door. I mentally cursed myself; I missed it. I flushed the toilet and exited the bathroom, like that was all I was doing all along. The younger girl was no longer there. When I returned, the sight I saw at Ally's table made my heart stop.


	4. Food Fight

**A/N: Alrighty, I'm thinking about just updating every Wednesday. I still haven't figured out what time yet, but I don't think I'm gonna. Just check, okay? Okay. Well, wow! This story's been going pretty well so far. I'm impressed. I hope you guys like it! This one's gonna be a little shorter, but some long important ones are coming up soon, so bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally. at all. Seriously. I wish I did. But I'm gonna get on with the story now.  
**

Ally's POV:

"Ryan!" a shrill voice called out. I looked up and held in a grin, seeing Tanya standing over us. Ryan had his arm around me and our faces were inches apart. Needless to say, my heart was beating out of my chest.

"I thought we were dating!" Tanya whined.

It was all I had not to crack up. Ryan would never date a thirteen year old.

But the no one in the restaurant knew that.

I faked a gasp, and looked at Ryan with the best accusation face I could muster. "Ryan! Is this true?"

"He's cheating on you with me," Tanya countered. I gasped again, sounding incredibly girly. Ryan stood up. I raised my hand as he moved in front of me, his back facing the rest of the restaurant. His hand flew beneath his chin at the same moment I moved my hand to slap him and I hit his hand instead of his face – stage combat. To everyone else, it looked like I had actually slapped him, especially with his pro-level reaction. We continued our fake fight, yelling nonsense at each other. I grabbed the basket of breadrolls and dumped them on Ryan's head. He looked extremely offended, and picked one up that fell on the ground, throwing it back at me. We continued throwing food at each other, trying to contain our laughter, until I decided it had gone on long enough. I grabbed my purse and stood on a chair.

"I never wanna see you again!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Don't even try to follow me!"I stomped out of the restaurant. Hey, dramatic exits are good.

"Me neither!" Tanya yelled, and followed me out. Ryan left some cash to pay for the check and walked out after us. The second the door closed, the three of us burst out laughing.

"That was amazing!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs, not even bothering to calm my hysterical laughter. "Best idea ever, Ry!"

"Did you see the faces of some of the other customers?" Ryan laughed. "It's like they'd never seen a food fight before. There was one girl with really curly black hair who was just gaping at us the entire time!"

"Did you see the guy with the blond hair? He looked like he knew one of us," Tanya responded.

"How about that redhead? He caught everything on film!"

As Ryan and Tanya chattered away about how great everything went, I reviewed the list of people they'd just mentioned. _Curly black hair… Blond who knew us… redhead with a camera…_

_ Oh no._

Austin's POV:

I watched in horror as Ally slapped her boyfriend. I can't believe he would be such a cheater. Ally is an amazing girl and he definitely doesn't deserve her. I looked up and rushed over to Dez's table.

"Did you see that?" I whispered furiously.

"Of course! I'd have to be an idiot not to!" he whispered back. Trish joined us.

"Ally just broke up with her boyfriend," Trish told us.

"Yeah, so?" Dez asked.

"That means, things can go back to normal! I bet if we ask her about it she'll tell us the truth now," Trish reasoned.

"I hope so. I don't know why I got so paranoid over this," I told them.

"Because you love her," Dez said matter of factly.

"Of course I do, but that doesn't explain why I – oh… you meant _that_ kind of love," I said, feeling my face grow hot.

"I didn't mean you love her. I mean you're _in _love with her," Dez said, getting a sappy, lovesick look on his face.

"I am not in love with Ally," I retaliated, but my voice didn't sound strong.

"Sure," Trish responded.

_Am I in love with Ally?_ I wondered. There are definitely worse girls to be accused of falling for. Heck, even Trish has a lot of downsides. Ally can be kinda dorky, but it's a cute dorky; she doesn't always enjoy fun stuff like eating pancakes and horror movies, but that can definitely be arranged; she at least loves music, and she's kind, and smart, and gorgeous…

_Oh my god.  
_

**A/N: Oooooh, Austin's confession! Leave in the reviews who you think she should be with. Ryan or Austin? I'm leaning more towards Ryan myself, but I wanna see what you guys think!**

**Remember, the review button doesn't bite! Use it, please! I love constructive criticism, and I'm really curious about what you guys think about Ryan or Austin. Please tell me! 'Til next week!**


	5. We Find Out

**A/N: Okay, I got some mixed reviews over whether she should be with Ryan or Austin. I actually only got three that had to do with that, and they were all three options: have her be with Austin, have her be with Ryan, and have her be with one, break up, and go to the other. That's not quite enough for me to know who you guys want! Please keep reviewing! **

**To the person who asked for a crossover with Sam and Cat: you're probably going to think I've been living under a rock, but I've never seen that show. It's a lot harder to write a fanfiction if you've never seen the show you're writing about, so... I'm sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally and Trish and Dez. I do, however, own Ryan and Tanya, Studio North, and most of this plot line.**

**On with the show!**

Ally's POV:

Tanya, Ryan and I hopped into Ryan's car and drove to our local theatre, Studio North. Aside from Sonic Boom, the Studio was my favorite place on earth. It has such friendly people, and the shows they put on are amazing. The people who are there are there to stay, and are constantly looking out for each other and cheering each other on. Tonight they were showing Romeo and Juliet, and I know a couple of people who are going to be in the show.

We stepped out of the car and into the parking lot. I glanced up at the beige building. There were dark green trimmings on the cement structure, and a big sign that said Studio North next to a jester hung outside. On the ground were three picnic tables and some small trees. The studio, all in all, had a very comforting feel. I sighed in content. Grabbing Tanya's arm, I dragged her inside, the both of us screaming at the top of our lungs like we were crazy. Ryan hung back, but it was clear he was enjoying watching us. When we entered the lobby, we immediately stopped screaming for fear of being shushed. Our grins never left our faces, though.

"Three tickets for Romeo and Juliet, please," I requested at the ticket counter. Handing the lady a twenty dollar bill, I took the three tickets and looked around for Ryan and Tanya. My eye caught the poster for Romeo and Juliet displayed proudly on the wall. Next to it was a poster for Hairspray, the upcoming show. I grinned to myself.

"It's pretty cool, huh," Ryan snuck up behind me.

"Yeah, it is," I whispered, my eyes never leaving the poster. "I can't believe I did it."

"We had total faith in you," Ryan whispered, his lips grazing my ear slightly as he wrapped his arms around my waist in an embrace. I smiled softly.

"You were the only ones who did," I responded. I turned around and threw my arms around his neck in a hug. His arms wrapped back around my waist.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"No problem," he responded.

"Awwwwwww!" Tanya chorused from behind us. We broke apart quickly. She was grinning like a schoolgirl.

"It's just like the show!" she pointed at the Hairspray sign. I smiled to myself. It's incredible how something terrible can snowball into something amazing. For a long time, even after I conquered my stage fright, Austin, Trish and Dez were still treating me like I had it. I was constantly feeling left out. I tried to join in, but it's hard; I'm not into Zailiens, so when I tried to join in on their brain suck thing, they were like, "Oh, Ally, you can't do that."

I hate it when someone says I can't do something.

I eventually got fed up and stopped paying attention. I was listening to my iPod constantly, trying to block out the world. In hind sight, that probably wasn't the best way to go, but everything worked out in the end. I got into soundtracks from Broadway musicals. The first one I stumbled across was Hairspray. I immediately connected with the character of Penny, because she's shy and lives a very sheltered life but has an outgoing, I-couldn't-care-less-about-school-and-the-rules best friend. When she falls in love with Seaweed, she starts to do her own thing and broadcasts on national television that she's in love with a man of a different race. That was what I wanted to do; I wanted to prove to Austin, Trish and Dez that I wasn't the same little shy girl they remembered. So when auditions for Hairspray came up at Studio North, how could I say no? Sure, it wasn't national television, but it'd get the message out there, and that was what I needed. However, I never expected to be cast, as Penny herself nonetheless. And I never expected to meet my best friends in the world, Ryan and Tanya, and by the end of the run, probably many others I haven't met yet. I hate to say it, but they top Team Austin any day. Team Austin won't even give me a chance to change.

"Come on, the show starts, like, now," Tanya grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs and into the theatre. We slid into the first row easily. The first row, by tradition, was supposed to be reserved for kids, but it was mostly reserved for people who were in shows at the Studio before. Now I was one of them. A smile played on my lips as the theatre darkened and the show began. My friend Alexi sauntered onto the stage, and I beamed with pride. She was playing Juliet, and although I didn't know her that well, I was thrilled to see her onstage. Even just to see her again. She's going to be in Hairspray with me too – I think she's one of the kids on the Corny Collins Show. By the time intermission rolled around, Ryan, Tanya and I were completely engrossed in the show. Tanya had never seen it, and was clutching my arm out of fear during the many murders. We were so close, people were practically dying on top of us. I just stroked her head and tried not to picture her reaction to the end of the show.

"Come on," I shook Tanya. "Let's get you some candy. I think you need it."

Tanya nodded a yes, her eyes plastered wide open. I glanced at Ryan.

"You coming?" I smiled, reaching out my hand. He returned my smile and grabbed it, the three of us walking out into the lobby and saying hi to people who recognized us.

After the show was done, Ryan drove us home. He dropped me off about a block away from my house so I could walk in and not have to explain to my dad who Ryan was and why he was dropping me off. I got home and crawled under the covers as quickly as I could get in my PJs. Excitement was etched in every corner of my body. Rehearsals for Hairspray started in a week. And even though I'd have to lie about where I was going to Team Austin between now and then (I'd made plans with Ryan and Tanya to see the movie they made in 2007 and go over lines), I was ecstatic beyond words. I was conquering my stage fright.

**A/N: Now you know. You know Ally's secret. I hope you guys aren't disappointed... this has just always been my idea from the beginning. Now that you know, see if you can find any other hints that pointed towards this in previous chapters (Because trust me, they're there.)! Someone's going to find out soon... stay tuned!**


	6. Austin Knows

**A/N: Cool! I'm liking the reviews I've gotten. No hates so far, so... lets try and keep that up! I'm still curious about Ryan vs. Austin, so please keep letting me know about that. This next chapter's kinda... important, shall we say, so read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or Hairspray.**

Austin's POV:

I leaned on the wall outside Sonic Boom, watching the footage from Dez's camera of last night's disaster at Laurie's. On screen, Ally was throwing food at her used-to-be boyfriend. I smirked. I never knew Ally to be so assertive.

Ally approached the store and unlocked it, letting me in. "Hey, Austin."

"Hey, Ally. You okay?" I asked, knowing she must be upset about what happened last night. But nothing changed.

"Is that some new way of saying 'How's life'?" Ally asked, smirking. She sat up on the counter and took out a white binder, flipping through the pages with a highlighter, occasionally highlighting something. Sometimes, she would highlight every other line almost, and then she'd go for pages without anything. Almost like a script of some sort.

"N-no," I stuttered, caught off guard. "I just thought something seemed off about you."

"Why?" Ally asked quickly, jumping off the counter. "What do you know? Who told you? Was it Ryan? That blabbermouth! No, it was Tanya, wasn't it! I bet she thought you were cute and wanted to help you out! Well, I forbid you from dating her! Some friend she is. The next time I see her, I'm gonna -"

"Ally!" I cut her off. "No one told me anything! I don't even know what you're talking about!" Lies. I bet Ryan was her boyfriend. But who's Tanya?

"OH… Never mind. Ryan's my… cousin. And Tanya's his… girlfriend," she said, smothering a smile.

"Oh. Okay. So what'd you do last night?" I asked, wondering if she remembered her "family thing" lie.

"Oh, not much," Ally said, opening her binder again. "Had dinner with my dad, watched TV, nothing special."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes cold. "If it was nothing special, why'd you cancel on Team Austin?"

Ally's breath caught in her throat, like a deer in the headlights. "Um, my dad really wanted me at home. It was the… year long anniversary of his split with my mom, and he wanted me there for… moral support?"

"Oh, alright; so you weren't, say, out with Ryan when you found out he was cheating on you?" I accused, trying to hide my anger and be care free and understanding. After all, her boyfriend cheated on her; she's probably in bad shape.

A confused look spread across her face until a glimmer of recognition and shock showed up in her beautiful eyes. "How much do you know?" she whispered.

"I know plenty," I smirked.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys! I just wanted it to be a surprise," Ally protested.

"It was a pretty nasty surprise alright," I scoffed.

"What do you mean? I thought you'd be proud of me!" Ally exclaimed, confused and hurt.

"Proud of you?" I repeated, now confused myself.

"Yeah! It's my first big role in a show, and you're not proud of me? I'm willingly going onstage and you're not proud of me? _I'm working on my stage fright_ and you're not PROUD OF ME!" Ally exploded.

"Wait, what?" I asked, shock taking over my body and setting it in autopilot.

"I got cast as Penny in a local theatre production of Hairspray. I was sneaking off to go meet my friends from callbacks. I did that last night; we saw Romeo and Juliet at Studio North, where we're doing Hairspray. This is the script," Ally shoved the white binder into my hand. I flipped through the pages and saw her character name next to Ryan's, the word 'Seaweed', who I recognized as Penny's love interest, and Ryan's phone number. "I wanted it to be a surprise," she finished weakly.

I stared at her, my body frozen, with dozens of thoughts racing through my mind._ Ally's in a musical? She's a _lead_ in a musical? Ryan's not her boyfriend? He didn't cheat on her? Ryan's not her boyfriend!_

"You didn't know, did you?" Ally asked glumly.

I shook my head, still too stunned to speak.

"Don't tell Trish and Dez. I still want them to be surprised," Ally told me. That woke me from my trance.

"Surprised?" I asked incredulously. They're gonna be thrilled! Ally, you're performing onstage! I'm so proud of you!" I screamed, throwing my arms around her in a tight hug.

"Austin, keep your voice down!" Austin whispered harshly. "I don't want everyone to know!"

"Don't want everyone to know what?" Trish asked as she walked in the door, Dez on her heel.

"Uh, Ally got a bad grade on a test!" I blurted without thinking.

"Austin!" Ally screeched, but I could see ever so slightly that she caught herself, deciding to play along. There's a reason she got cast as a lead – she's pretty good. Who am I kidding? She's amazing. "Now everyone knows…"

"Ally, one bad grade on a test won't kill ya!" Trish reassured her. "I get bad grades on tests all the time, and I'm doing just fine! I get a new job every day."

"Yeah, Ally. Take Trish; she's capable enough that she can get a new job every single day! Although,t hat's because she's fired from one job every single day. At least she'll be able to support herself when she finds out she can't graduate because she didn't pass PE. Or Math. Or English. Or Social Studies. Or-" Dez started, but Trish clamped a hand over his mouth, realizing that Ally would take that really to heart. Ha. If only he knew.

"Yeah, well, we were just leaving… so… bye!" I grabbed Ally's arm and dragged her out the door. I saw her make a mad dash for her binder before following me; smart thinking. If the binder was left out, they would have easily discovered Ally's new secret.

And mine too, I guess.

Trish's POV:

Austin grabbed Ally and ran out of there pretty fast. It was weird; Ally I can see rushing off, especially after last night, but Austin? It didn't make sense. He loved hanging out with us.

"That wasn't right," Dez said, pointing after Austin and Ally.

"I know…"

"They're hiding something," Dez decided.

"Noooooooo," I said sarcastically. "I thought they just had somewhere to be."

"That might be it, too!" Dez responded.

"Dimwit," I muttered. I spotted Dez's camera left on the counter. "Let's rewatch the video. See if that has any clues."

"Okay!" Dez chirped and opened the camera, hitting the replay button. Everything seemed normal at first; that girl accused Ryan of cheating, Ally gasped, yada yada yada, when something caught my eye.

"Wait, go back!" I said frantically. Dez jumped a little, but obeyed. "Pause!" I screamed, at the exact moment Ally slapped her boyfriend.

I looked closer. Her boyfriend's hand had gone beneath his chin, and Ally had never hit his face.

"It was all fake!" I gasped.

**A/N: Oooooooh, Austin knows! Trish and Dez are hot on their tracks... what will happen next?! I know... but you don't! Mwahahahahaha! Til next Wednesday!**


	7. The First Rehearsal

**A/N: Welcome back! Remember how the last chapters weren't as long as i'd wanted? Well, this one is very very long, so bear with me! This one's more introductions to new characters, so read on!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or Hairspray.**

Ally's POV:

A week had passed since I got the call saying I'd gotten cast in Hairspray and Austin found out. Trish and Dez still don't know, but I'm afraid they suspect something. In the long run, I'm really glad Austin found out. I can use him in my excuses and he'll back me up without questioning me, leaving me free to sneak off with Ryan and Tanya. I have memorized about half of my lines, which was pretty good for me, and all of my songs. Tanya, Ryan and I had a movie night and watched the 2007 movie version of the show, to help learn our parts, the music, and see the changes between the movie and the musical. I found out there were actually a lot. The biggest thing was that Inez had a much bigger part in the movie than in the musical, which made Tanya a bit of a grumpy pants. In the movie, Inez actually wins Miss Teenage Hairspray, while during the musical she's just kinda there a lot of the time. It became incredibly awkward during Without Love, seeing as… you know… I have to make out with Ryan.

And the sad thing is, I want to.

Anyway, tonight is our first rehearsal.

By tonight, I mean in twenty minutes.

I feel like I'm going to lose my pizza I ate for dinner before coming. I'm nervous beyond belief, and my knees are shaking as Austin drives me down the familiar roads to Studio North. Austin is older than me by six months, so he already has his driver's license. I, on the other hand, have to wait two more months. At least I'll have my license before Hairspray closes. I'm hoping to get it as a 'Congratulations-you're-a-lead-in-a-show-and-it-ha s-successfully-opened' gift.

Austin put a hand on my knee. "You nervous?"

"What do you think?" I snapped. Austin quickly retracted his hand. I sighed. "Sorry, Austin. I just really want this to go well."

"I know you do, but please," Austin started. "You're scaring me. At least you'll know Ryan, Tanya and Alexi, right? Everything will be fine. They all love you; everyone else will too."

He was right. Austin's always right about things like this. Since Austin found out, I'd been telling him everything I'd ever done at Studio North, from callbacks to why he thought Ryan was my boyfriend to Romeo and Juliet. He knew all the people at the studio by name, and he still hasn't met any of them yet. I sucked in a deep breath as he pulled up in front of the Studio.

"You'll do great," Austin promised, and I opened the car door, stepping out into the parking lot. I glanced around and spotted Ryan, Alexi and Tanya sitting on top of picnic tables outside the door with some other people I didn't recognize. Ryan's eyes caught mine, and his face immediately brightened. He hit Tanya on the arm, and she turned around.

"Ally!" she screamed, attacking me in a hug.

"Woah! Hey, T," I said, laughing. "Excited, aren't we?"

"It's been a whole week since I've seen you! That's forever," Tanya moaned.

"So you haven't seen her in a week," Ryan started, rolling his eyes. "So what?"

Ugh. Even cute boys will still be boys.

"Although," he continued. "I understand what it's like to miss Ally. Welcome to the family, girl," he said, wrapping his arms around me. My heart rate accelerated fifty percent.

"Come on, Ally," Tanya said, tugging my arm. "I want you to meet some people. Everybody, this is Ally. Ally, this is everybody."

I glanced around at "Everybody". There were three boys and Alexi, who grinned and waved, calling out my name.

"Hey, Ally!" She said. I grinned back, and waved.

"Hey, Alexi!" I responded.

"You two know each other?" Ryan asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I responded. "We went to a music camp together a couple years ago."

"And you still remember each other?" Ryan continued, still shocked.

"Yeah," Alexi grinned. "Who could forget Ally?"

"I'm hoping that's a good thing," I replied, making everyone else in our group laugh.

"Good answer," one of the older boys commented. He looked about seventeen, like Ryan, and had curly jet black hair. He was tall, and visibly strong, but not in a show-off kind of way. All in all, he was _very_ cute. _All the guys here are_, I thought, glancing around. I'd have to tell Trish about this later.

Oh, wait. Trish doesn't know.

"I'm Ian," the boy said. "But right now, they're calling me your date for this evening." Ian ran a hand through his hair, flashed me a grin, and kissed my hand. Tanya and a couple of the other people wolf whistled, and I blushed deeply, looking at Ryan to see his reaction. He was smiling good naturedly, but I could see in his eyes that the second he got alone with Ian, well… Ian had better run for the hills. Ian just grinned shamelessly.

"Yeah, never do that again," another boy retaliated. "Ignore him. I'm Robert," he introduced himself, sticking out his hand to shake mine. I decided Robert was a lot calmer than Ian. Or at least, less of a flirt. Robert, like Ian, had dark hair, but Robert's was straight, with bangs. He wasn't as strong as Ian, and had a lot more of a gangly, nerdy look to him. He honestly reminded me of me. I shook Robert's hand.

"Ally," I responded.

"I know," he grinned. "Ryan and Tanya haven't stopped going on about you since you two met. I saw you at callbacks – you're really good." I blushed.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ian said, throwing himself between me and Robert, interrupting our conversation. "Robert! Back off! I saw her first," Ian said slyly, winking at me.

"Actually, boys," Ryan started throwing an arm around my shoulder. "I saw her first."

I blushed, for probably the fiftieth time in the ten minute interval since Austin drove away.

"Oh, sorry, Ryan," Ian apologized. "Didn't know you two had a thing…" he started, his face turning pink as he looked away. I swear my heart melted – Ian looked really pathetic, polar opposite of his shameless flirting that had been going on just mere seconds before.

"We don't," I responded. Ian looked up, relieved that he didn't have a reason to be embarrassed. "But it's true; he saw me first. Now, I didn't catch what parts you guys are playing…?"

"Wilbur," Robert answered, a smile playing across his lips as he glanced towards the blond boy sitting with us who hadn't said anything. I smiled too; Robert seemed nice. Wilbur was Tracy's dad in the show. I could totally see Robert playing him.

"Link," Ian responded, giving the signature Link Wink. "Couldn't you tell?"

"I had a pretty good idea," I stated dryly.

"And you're playing…?" Ian asked.

"Penny," I replied, smiling. Ian cheered and jumped up on the table, doing a sixty's style dance.

"Right answer!" he called.

"Ian's kinda energetic," Ryan whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the back of my neck. I chocked back a smile – can't make my crush too obvious, now can I?

_Easy, Ally, easy girl. You do not have a crush on him. You're simply… attracted to him. Yeah, that works._

"Sorry that had to be your first impression," the only boy who hadn't talked to me yet said. He had short blond hair and sparkling clear blue eyes, and was built very similar to Ian; tall, good looking and visibly strong. "I'm Henry. If I tell you who I'm playing, you won't laugh?" he asked cautiously.

I nodded. "I promise."

"I'm Edna." He almost whispered.

"Yaaaaaay!" I cheered. "They're doing the Edna's-a-drag-queen thing!"

Henry grinned, relieved I wasn't going to make fun of him. "I see you've taught her well," he said to Ryan, who simply shrugged modestly.

"Well of _course_ we're doing the drag queen thing," Alexi emphasized. "It's a tradition as old as the sun!"

"Or at least as old as Kaylie," Robert joked, making the group burst out in laughter again. I stood there awkwardly, watching them giggle in hysterics (which is really interesting, actually).

"Kaylie is _not_ old!" Tanya protested.

"Who's Kaylie?" I asked, my face turning slightly pink out of embarrassment.

"Kaylie's our director. She's amazing – if you don't know her now, you will by the end of the run, definitely," Henry responded.

"She's a lifesaver – I can't tell you how many times she's saved my butt onstage," Tanya responded, making us giggle again, but dead serious.

"She's the person you auditioned in front of," Ryan cleared up. My confusion cleared away.

"Ah! Okay! I know who you're talking about. Anyone else I should know? Who else is in the show that I should be aware of?" I asked.

"Well…" Alexi's voice trailed off, deep in thought.

"I don't think so. You'll meet everyone tonight," Ryan responded.

A pretty woman I recognized as the stage manager, probably in her late twenties, walked out of the building holding a clipboard and wearing a Studio North Staff shirt. She had thick black glasses that were probably just as much for style as for seeing, and her firey red hair was tied up in a bun behind her head. Everyone's solemn looks immediately brightened as she walked through the door.

"Hey, Crystal!" Tanya called.

"Hi, Tanya," Crystal called back. "Cast, inside! We're starting rehearsals now." She disappeared back inside the building and relayed the message to the rest of the cast who were already inside the lobby.

"That's us!" Henry responded, jumping off the table. Everyone followed his way. Ian slung an arm around me as we walked through the door.

"Don't want anyone thinking you're not one of us, now do we?" He grinned. Ryan had murder in his eye, but didn't do anything. Alexi punched me on the arm.

"You're one of us," she reminded. "That means, you sit with us. You okay with that?" she asked as we entered the theatre and Henry, Tanya and Robert headed to the front of the theatre where Ryan, Tanya and I sat for Romeo and Juliet.

"I'm fine with that," I smiled, and Ian pulled me up to the front. I grinned.

_ I've already made a bunch of new friends. They thought of me as one of them. _

I pulled out my script without a complaint. The next few hours would go well. I could feel it.

**A/N: You've now met all of the characters. Ally's still falling for Ryan... I still really want to know about Ryan Vs. Austin! Please lemme know. Now that you've met a lot of other characters, let me know if you guys have any ideas that I could do with them... Ally's going to have a bit of a moment with one of them... and it's NOT Ryan. Or Austin. No relationship, but a moment that causes a friendship. You'll get more about that next week. Til then!**


	8. Meanwhile, At Menchie's

**A/N: Two month anniversary of this fanfic! Wow, this has actually gone really well, for my first one. Thanks for sticking with me... it means a lot. But I don't think you wanna hear me rambling on, you want to read my story! So here goes chapter 8. Big surprise at the end. I dare you to scroll down. Wait, no! Don't! Be surprised. And leave your feelings in the reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or Hairspray or Menchie's. Yes, they go to Menchie's in this chapter.**

Ally's POV:

And I was right. Rehearsal went great. Everybody got along with everybody, and I was right about the boys, too; they were _seriously_ cute. All of them were, and they were nice too. They were slightly crazy, I'll admit, but they knew when the right time was to be crazy, and weren't when it wasn't. We attempted to do a read-through of the show, but we ended up laughing and telling jokes the whole time. I haven't had this much fun in ages. Ian, Henry, Robert and Alexi are great actors, and it makes perfect sense why they got cast. They are amazingly talented, and they're really, really fun to be around. I know I'm going to enjoy these next two months.

"Well?" Henry asked, swinging an arm around my and Tanya's shoulders. "To Menchie's?" he suggested.

"To Menchie's!" They all chorused back. I looked around at them, confused. Ryan must've noticed, because he explained it to me.

"Ever since we can remember, the six, now seven of us have gone to Menchie's to celebrate the first rehearsal," Ryan elaborated. I felt happy inside, as Ryan changed the number from six to seven, officially counting me in with the group. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding?" I gave him a duh face. "Of course I want to!"

"Awesome! Let's go then!" Ian yelled, doing a flip down the sidewalk. He glanced back at us and saw my open mouth. "I used to do gymnastics when I was little…" he admitted sheepishly.

As the seven of us walked down the street to Menchie's, conversation flowed easily. I had never been part of a group where they were searching for ways to include everyone instead of going their own way.

I have also never been in a group of people where they would argue about what musical is the best.

"Are you kidding me?" Robert yelled as we got our yogurt and sat down at a table. "Kinky Boots is amazing. How could you not like it?"

"Kinky Boots sucks," Henry retaliated. "It's Mamma Mia bad."

"Mamma Mia was directed by Bjorn! It couldn't be bad if it was directed by Bjorn," Robert replied, a sharp edge to his voice.

"Mamma mia, how could I let you goooooooooo…" Ian sang, of pitch and out of tune.

"I said it was bad, not catchy," Henry rolled his eyes.

I sat patiently, my eyes flickering around the room as their conversation flowed through my ears. The place was decorated in pinks, greens and whites, and it looked like a big lollipop swirl. Not that I'm complaining – I love lollipop swirls. I was just shocked that the boys wanted to come here. But there they were, carrying on conversations like they were in the manliest man cave ever.

A bell dinged as a person walked through the door. I looked to see who it was – I don't know why, but I always look at people when they walk through doors. My heart stopped and I quickly turned away.

_Trish._

And Austin, but it was Trish that made me worry. Austin already knew.

Not Trish.

Austin's POV:

I walked through the door to Menchie's, Trish on my heel, and glanced around. The first thing I saw was frozen yogurt, and lots of it.

The second thing I saw was Ally, looking at me wide eyed and shocked.

I turned around and blocked the entrance so Trish couldn't get in.

"Actually, I'm more in the mood for coffee," I told her, and pushed her towards the Starbucks that was right next door.

"Um, sorry Austin, I didn't know you were scared of pink," Trish teased, and walked through the door anyway.

I groaned. This was going to be interesting.

Ally's POV:

Trish walked through the door again. I inwardly groaned. I saw Austin try and block her, but Trish's mind was made up. And when Trish's mind is made up, nothing's gonna stop her.

I decided the best thing to do was act like I didn't know her. I laughed at something Ian said and rejoined their conversation, before taking out my phone and texting Ryan and Tanya:

_Austin and Trish just showed up. In case they come over, I'm not Ally. Go along with what I do. Tell Ian, Robert , Henry and Alexi._

I pressed send and shoved my phone in my pocket. Ryan and Tanya took out their phones in perfect sync. Ryan's eyes widened, and Tanya frantically forward the message to the guys and Alexi. They took out their phones at different times, but all got the message. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they'd back me up, and continued with the conversation. It wasn't long until Trish spotted me and called out my name.

"Ally?" I didn't turn around.

"Ally?" she said, more frantically, but I didn't listen.

"Ally!" She tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around then, and looked at her, a confused look on my face.

"Excuse me, is there something wrong?" I asked, trying to be wide eyed and innocent.

"Um, Ally? What are you talking about? And who are these people?"

"Who's Ally?" I asked. I saw hurt seep into Trish's eyes and instantly felt guilty.

"Um, Penny?" Robert asked. "Who's this?"

_Yes! Thank god for Robert's excellent improv skills!_

"I don't know," I said. "Some person."

"Ally? Reality check," Trish waved a hand in front of my face.

"I'm not Ally! I don't know who you're looking for, but I'm not her. I'm Penny," I stuck out my hand. "Nice to meet you!" I chirped.

"Trish, that isn't Ally," Austin pitched in. I breathed a sigh of relief, thrilled he's backing me up.

"She sure looks like her," Trish mumbled.

"Not really," Austin responded.

"Do you want me to get rid of them, Pen?" Robert asked as he stood up behind me, a slightly murderous look in his eye.

"It's alright, Robert," I smiled up at him, and he put his hand on my shoulder. "It's not like I know them."

"Ally, tell your boyfriend he can leave us alone," Trish whispered.

"I'm not Ally, and he's just backing me up! He's so sweet," I muttered. I knew I had to be slightly more convincing – Trish wasn't taking no for an answer – so I did the only thing I could think of.

Quickly, I stood up on my tip toes and dragged Robert's head down to meet mine, pressing my lips firmly against his.

**A/N: Ooooooooooooh, someone wanna say drama? I'm not planning on doing anything with Ally and Robert, I just really wanted an excuse to get Ally a close friend at the Studio. However, if you want it... Let me know! Still wanting the Austin Vs. Ryan... Please please please review! I'd love it so much. And it doesn't just have to be Austin or Ryan; last week, someone said they wanted Ally to be with Ian, which I honestly didn't see coming. So if you want Ally to be with someone, please let me know! I've got about five chapters ahead written, but I'm perfectly fine with changing them if you want. **

**Until next week! I'll see you in the review section! *Hint hint***


	9. The Talk

**A/N: Welcome back! Wow, that ending had a bit of a surprise, didn't it? I really wanted that to happen. But I DON'T ship Ally and Robert. I just... well, I don't know what I was thinking. That's my sick way of giving Ally a friend. Loving the reviews so far! I haven't gotten any 'you stink's' yet, so that's good! Love you all!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or Hairspray.**

**Last chapter ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, so we're going to do a little recap here.**

_Previously:_

_ I knew I had to be slightly more convincing – Trish wasn't taking no for an answer – so I did the only thing I could think of._

_ Quickly, I stood on my tip toes and connected my lips with Robert's._

Ally's POV:

Ryan's eyebrows shot up jealously, but he quickly forced them back down, looking like this was normal. I saw Robert smile, although I could tell he was confused.

"Sorry. Penny, right?" Austin asked. I nodded. "You just look an awful lot like someone we know. We'll be out of your way," Austin said and dragged Trish over to the yogurt stand. I continued talking as Penny, but the second they walked out the door I was met with some seriously confused faces.

"Um… what was that about?" Alexi asked.

"Those were my friends, Trish and Austin," I began slowly. "They don't know I'm here. Or that I'm doing Hairspray. They didn't think I could do it, so I decided to surprise them once I got cast. But then I talked to Ryan and he said it'd be way cooler to wait until opening day to tell them, and I agree – how cool would that be!? So I did, but I accidently told Austin, the blond boy who was just here, so he knew I was in this and probably recognized Ryan and Tanya. But Trish doesn't know, so I figured… well, I guess now wouldn't be the best time to let her know."

"Oh," Ian said. "If that's all."

"We thought you were on the run from the FBI or something," Henry joked. We all laughed, and the conversation carried on. I glanced between Robert and Ryan, both of whom I knew I would have to confront later.

"Alright, I'm beat," Tanya yawned. "Let's call it a night."

"Yeah, I'm tired too," Ryan responded. "Wanna ride, Alls?"

"Nah, I'll walk. I need the exercise," I replied. Normally I wouldn't have turned down a ride with Ryan for anything, but I didn't want to confront him just yet. I didn't know what I was going to say, and I especially didn't want to say anything that might change after my talk with Robert.

Which I also didn't want to happen.

"Can I walk you home?" Robert asked, an unreadable expression on his face.

I glanced back at Ryan. Ryan rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess," I responded finally.

As the seven of us filtered out of the restaurant, I saw Henry and Ian make a beeline back to the studio, as Tanya, Ryan and Alexi jumped into Ryan's car. Robert and I started walking casually down the sidewalk. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"I suppose you want me to tell you why I did that, huh?" I asked, shocking myself. Normally, I am not the one to make a first move in an awkward conversation.

"Only if you want to," Robert responded honestly. My respect for him instantly grew.

"It's alright," I replied. "I just don't know how to explain my train of thought. You know how when something shocking happens, you kinda forget everything and it all mushes together? That's right now. The whole thing's kinda a blur."

"Me too," he said, allowing a smile to spread on his face. "All I remember was I was helping you out and then we were kissing. And Ryan looked like he was going to murder me."

I laughed, but his comment sparked my curiosity.

"He really likes you, you know," Robert said, looking straight ahead.

"Yeah I – wait, what?" I asked, staring at Robert.

"I meant what I said," Robert replied evenly, glancing back down at me for a minute. "He really likes you."

"Like, crush or like 'you're my friend and I care about you'?" I asked.

"Crush. Although, I'm not supposed to have told you that, so just forget about it," Robert answered. "On the other hand, it'd be really hard to forget something like that. Just don't mention it to him unless he brings it up first. He's never fallen for a girl who's younger than him before."

"Not even Tanya?" I asked, curious.

"No, especially not Tanya," Robert shook his head. "Ryan and Tanya are like brother and sister, but closer, and care more about each other. Just not in that way. It's really ironic that they got Seaweed and Inez."

"I can see why," I replied. "They're pretty tight."

"Oh yeah, they are," Robert laughed. I smiled. I loved how much I laughed around my new friends. It was definitely going to be refreshing after hiding with my iPod and script all day.

"So… the kiss," Robert started, his face turning pink.

"Yeah…" I let my voice trail off.

"Why me?" Robert asked, turning to face me. We stopped walking. "I mean, you just met me not six hours ago! Why not Ryan?"

"I love Ryan," I responded. "I really do. But Trish would've seen through Ryan in an instant. You see, we sorta played this trick on a restaurant…" Robert's eyebrows shot up. "Long story short, Ryan and I pretended we were a couple and then had a very dramatic fake breakup scene that snowballed into a food fight. We got Tanya in there too – that was why we broke up: Ryan was cheating," I explained.

"That's awesome," Robert crowed. "I should get Ian, Henry and Alexi to do that with me. We could totally build off of that – not to mention that'd be awesome improv work."

"I know!" I replied, excited. "Anyway, Trish, Austin and our other friend, Dez, were there that night. They already knew Ryan as my fake boyfriend… and trust me, they'd remember. I just figured it was safer to use someone they didn't recognize. Besides, you were backing me up, so I figured… what could go wrong?"

"So you decided to kiss me?" Robert asked, no accusation in his eye, pure wanting to know.

"They weren't buying it," I responded evenly. We started walking again. "Besides, you can't say you wouldn't do the same thing.

"Not with someone I just met," Robert began. "But I understand."

We walked along in a peaceful silence. Finally, Robert cleared his throat to speak again.

"Do you have feelings for me?" He asked, his face the color of a tomato.

"Um… come again?" I asked, surprised.

"Do you have feelings for me?" he asked again, his voice stronger, but still avoiding my eyes.

"No, why?" he breathed a sigh of relief, and I was almost offended.

"I just have a friend – Ryan – who really likes you," Robert said. "I wouldn't want to be the one to steal his girl. He trusts me, and that took a good year to earn. I'm not about to blow it for a girl I just met earlier today, you know? I mean this in the absolute nicest way possible," he added, somehow realizing his words could have a negative effect on me.

I smiled. "I get it. And Ryan has no reason to worry about someone stealing me."

Robert's eyebrows shot up. "You mean…?"

I nodded. "If you're about to say what I think you're going to say, yes. I'm just not sure I'm ready for a relationship. My dad would murder me before I get the chance to enjoy it."

"Then don't tell your dad," Robert suggested.

"He wouldn't even throw me a funeral after he killed me if he found out that I'd been seeing a seventeen year old behind his back," I joked.

Robert laughed. "Harsh dad."

"He's great. Protective, but great," I replied, a smile on my face.

"Do you want me to mention to Ryan that you… you know, or do you want me to keep it a secret?" Robert asked.

"Secret for now," I answered, studying his face. "I'll tell him when I'm ready."

"Alright," Robert responded. "But just so you know, I'm not that great at keeping secrets. Exhibit A, you already know that Ryan likes you."

I smiled.

"Just so you know," he started. "It wasn't the worst kiss I've ever had."

"Me neither," I admitted.

"Ryan doesn't have to know about this, right?" Robert clarified.

I shook my head frantically. In unison, we sighed in relief. I held up my right pinky.

"Pinky promise?" I asked in a childish voice.

"Really?" Robert whined. I nodded. "Fine," he sighed, and linked pinky's with me. "Pinky promise."

**A/N: Okay! So now Ally's got a friend at the Studio. Keep letting me know about Ryan Vs. Austin. If you can review, please do! I want to make you guys happy. I've got an ending planned out, and I think it will make you guys semi happy, but that really depends. Its pretty much neck and neck, Ryan or Austin. I'm leaning towards Ryan at the moment... TELL ME NOW. PRESS THAT NICE LITTLE REVIEW BUTTON. IT DOESN'T BITE. **

**Okay, now that I got that out of my system... until next week!**


	10. The Contest

**A/N: Welcome back my lovelies! I actually don't have a monologue or rant to start us off with, so lets just go straight to the story, shall we? Trust me, you'll get a rant at the end.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally or Hairspray.**

Ally's POV:

In the weeks that followed, an unmistakable bond had formed between Robert and I. we always walked home together after rehearsal, and I loved meeting him after school, doing homework or just hanging out and talking. However, I can't say that didn't cause a change of behavior with two certain boys in my life. The first and most obvious one I noticed was Ryan.

Ryan had been almost glued to my side at rehearsals. Not that I'm complaining, of course, and it wasn't hard for him to accomplish this, seeing as we're in almost every scene together, but he wouldn't even let me breath the same air as Robert. I first noticed it when Ryan sat between Robert and I in the theatre one time, even though there wasn't a seat between us. That certainly ended awkwardly, as we made Ryan explain why he'd done that. Eventually, Robert got up and left, letting Ryan have me to himself. Minutes later, my phone had buzzed: _wat'd I tell ya? He likes u. – Robert._ I really like Ryan, but not even being in the same room with my friend was a little drastic.

The other boy was Austin. His changes were a lot more subtle, and I didn't pick up on most of them. Robert was the one who'd tipped me off on our walk back to my house, which was a definite habit, despite pushes from Ryan and Austin otherwise, until I began to notice the changes myself. You had to look really carefully to notice Austin never, _ever_ looked at Robert or Ryan, or to notice that he would linger after he dropped me off a split second longer than he should to see who I would stand by before rehearsal. He acted differently at school, too. he would always sit by me at lunch, and despite what Trish and Dez were doing, managed to spin the conversation around to something I liked or that I was doing. Music or school, usually, because I can't talk about Hairspray around Trish and Dez. Sometimes, on the drive over, he would turn the radio to the Hairspray soundtrack, letting me pick between the 2007 one and the original cast recording, or stop at Starbucks and buy me a latte. It was nice and all, but I don't get why he'd choose to do that now. It's not like I'm lonely – I've made a bunch of new friends at the studio.

Both of the boys interfering made a friendship with Robert harder, but anyone could tell we were close. We never mentioned to anyone who wasn't there that we had kissed, and it was never brought up between the seven of us at rehearsal, even though the kiss had meant nothing. For the main reason, the kids at Studio North are nothing if not gossipers. Very talented gossipers. If any of them got wind that there might have been something with me and Robert, rumors would fly all over and every hope of a normal friendship would be gone. A lot of people just assumed we went to the same school or something totally unrelated like that.

Other than major boy issues, my life had settled into a regular routine. I would go to school, come home, do homework and work in the store, usually at the same time, lie to Trish and Dez that Austin and I were going to write a song, then drive to Studio North for rehearsal, stopping at McDonalds or Taco Time on the way for food. I sometimes ended up doing homework when I wasn't onstage doing rehearsal, which wasn't often. But especially more towards the second act, I sat on the aisle way and did my math homework.

On top of all that, I had to cram in songwriting time.

For the first time in my life, I was having trouble getting my schoolwork in on time. School had been my first priority from the beginning, but there are only so many hours in a day, and I often would long for the weekends when I could sleep in and not have rehearsal.

But once weekends came, I would want to start the process all over again.

"Alright, everybody, listen up!" Crystal called, waving a flyer above her head as rehearsals wrapped up. "We have a challenge for you."

I glanced at my friends. _A challenge_?

"We have a proposal," Crystal began. "We wanted you guys to do something fun to bond as a cast. It's a pretty chemistry-based show, and lets face it… we're kinda lacking in that department. So we were thinking that we could do a movie night. We can pull down the projector and watch Hairspray. Either the 1980 or 2007, I really couldn't care less. You can decide. We'll buy the pizza and candy and popcorn and soda and pig out on food and everything else I already mentioned!" Crystal continued, getting more and more excited. I grinned; Crystal was almost like a little kid when she got excited, and it was fun to watch. I looked from the left to my right at Robert, Ryan, Tanya, Alexi, Ian and Henry. Their eyes were ablaze with excitement and wonder, giving me the idea this had never happened before.

"What do you guys think?" Crystal asked. We all went crazy in response. "Awesome! I think you like it! We'll let you do that and even let you eat in the theatre, but you need to sell 20 tickets to the Studio North auction. As a group, not by yourself, don't worry."

"That's bribery!" Ian called out, groaning.

"Yes, Mr. Kelly, that's exactly what it is," Crystal responded cheerfully.

Some people groaned, but my mind was calculating fast. There were thirty five of us in the cast. We wouldn't even have to sell one ticket each! If I just set some out at the store, I could sell them in one day. We can do this! And have a movie night. I was excited. This was going to be fun.

"This is going to be great!" Tanya squealed as we walked out of the theatre. "We've never done this before!"

"I'm surprised Kaylie would let us eat in the theatre," Henry said, making a mind blown sign with his hands.

"Too bad we have to sell tickets," Ian groaned again. I hit him on the shoulder.

"We can totally do this," I responded confidently. "Just sell two tickets each and we've already almost got ourselves a movie night. I could put some out in the store – I bet they'll go like hotcakes."

Everyone seemed to perk up a little at this idea. I smiled, and walked home, laughing and teasing Robert the entire way.

The next day, I set out a stack of tickets in the store as I started my shift. Austin came in and met me at the counter.

"Hey, Ally," he greeted. Seemingly noticing the tickets, he picked one up, reading off the back of the pale blue cardstock. "What're these?"

I grabbed the ticket back, careful not to bend it. "Tickets to the Studio North auction. They have one every year. It's kind of a big deal; if we don't sell anything at the auction, the Studio can't stay open for another season and we can't do shows there anymore. How devastating would that be? If the cast of Hairspray sell twenty, we can have a movie night."

"Awesome!" Austin asked. "Can I help out?"

"Sure, but I don't know how you could," I told him warningly.

"It's cool," he responded, clearly calculating in his mind. "Twenty you said?"

I nodded, curious. "I'll take care of everything," He promised, running out of the store.

Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that boy's brain.

And then I think better of it and decide I don't want to know.

Austin's POV:

Ally was talking about the tickets to the auction, but they were going in one ear and out the other, as inside my head, the gears were already turning.

I ran out of the store, thrilled to get started.

If this goes right, and if I have a lot of luck, Ally just might like me after what I do for her.

**A/N: I hope that last little bit got you kinda curious about what Austin's going to do. If you have any ideas, leave me a note in the reviews! This one and the next chapter aren't as great as I hoped they would be, but they're necessary for a really great chapter idea that I have in my head. So bear with me!**

**On a totally different note, we broke five thousand views! This is incredible! I was hoping for a hundred at the very most, but FIVE THOUSAND?! You guys are spoiling me. And I haven't gotten any hate reviews yet, so I guess I'm actually pretty good at this writing business. I love you guys so much! Keep on reviewing about Austin Vs. Ryan!**

**Until we meet again...**


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